


A Man Without Honor

by DoctorSnow



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Breaking Bad, Breaking Bad & Related Fandoms, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Crossover, Drug Use, Gen, References to Drugs, Underage Drug Use
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-19
Updated: 2015-07-24
Packaged: 2018-04-10 02:56:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4374506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DoctorSnow/pseuds/DoctorSnow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ned Stark, an overqualified high school chemistry teacher, has never broken a rule in his life. But when he learns that he has terminal lung cancer, he decides to take his life into his own hands. He joins up with former student Theon Greyjoy in manufacturing and distributing crystal meth of the highest quality in all of Westeros, with an intention to provide financial stability for his family before he dies. Amidst all this, Ned finds himself doing things he never would have imagined in his wildest dreams. As he digs deeper down the rabbit hole of narcotics, violence, money and power, he starts losing hold of himself. Will he be able to save himself and his loved ones before it's too late?</p><p>Loosely based on the hit AMC TV series 'Breaking Bad'.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> All characters owned by GRRM. I own nothing.
> 
> This was just a wild idea I had, to combine two of my favorite TV shows. I'm not sure about the direction I'm taking this in. Hopefully we'll get somewhere good.

He woke up in the middle of the night, coughing profusely.

Cat stirred next to him. “Ned, what time is it?”

He looked up at the clock. “It’s half past three, honey. I’m sorry I woke you.”

“That’s all right.” Cat mumbled, pulling the sheets up to cover her head. “Remember to take your pills in the morning.”

“I will.” He made to kiss her on the brow, but stopped himself. Lung cancer wasn’t contagious, as far as he knew. _But I probably shouldn’t_. He scrambled out of bed. Putting on his glasses, he walked out to the porch. The cool night breeze blew back his hair. He sat next to the pool and looked up, gazing at the stars. This was going to be another sleepless night.

By sunrise, the house was bustling. Ned walked back inside. The kids were getting ready for school. Cat was running around, making sure no one forgot their lunch money, or their assignments, or their shoes. He knew best to stay out of Cat’s way in the morning. Making his way to the kitchen, he poured himself a cup of coffee. Bran was at the dining table, reading one of his comic books. He looked up when he heard Ned coming.

“Good morning, dad.” He smiled.

“Good morning, son. Coffee?”

“Sure. I don't mind.”

He gave his cup to Bran, pouring himself another one.

“What’s this one about?” he asked, sitting down next to him.

“The Incredible Hulk. Have you read it?”

“I may have. When I was younger.” Frankly, he didn’t remember doing much else apart from working on his research.

“You’d like it. There’s a lot of science-related stuff.”

Ned chuckled. All of fourteen, Bran was the smartest kid in the family. He was always ahead in his classes and never gave them trouble with the teachers. Cat would agree with him in that Bran had been the easiest of the kids. He wondered how he would take the news of the cancer. _He’d probably try to comfort me_. The same couldn’t be said for Sansa or Arya. Both of them were in their own worlds, most of the time.

He rose. “Come on. Get your brother. Your sisters can take the bus.”

Ned had been teaching chemistry at King’s Landing High for almost twenty years now. Despite his qualifications and years of experience, he barely made enough to make ends meet. Cat hadn’t worked in years. Robb and Jon were up north, serving with the Night’s Watch. Arya helped out a bit, doing part-time at the record store. He had taken up a second job as a cashier at a car wash. Somehow, they always managed to get by. _What will become of them after I’m gone?_

The classes seemed like they would never end. He supposed that for once, he felt as uninterested as the students did at a chemistry lesson. Most never paid attention. They probably thought they wouldn’t have any use for chemistry later in their lives. Some diligent students probably did. _Well, look at me. What good did all my years of study and research do me?_

He pulled out his phone, fidgeting. He still had a few minutes before his next class. _Might as well do it now_. Not days ago, Cat’s brother had offered to take him on a ride-along to one of their drug raids. Edmure was a senior detective at the City Watch of King’s Landing. He was also a dear friend. When they met, he spoke of methamphetamine and the effect it seemed to be having on the youth nowadays. His unit mostly looked into restricting the manufacture and trade of crystal meth. He speed-dialed his number, waiting for one ring, two rings, three…

“Hey, Ned! How’s my favorite brother-in-law doing?”

“I’m fine. Listen, Edmure, I wanted to take you up on that offer you made me. The ride-along?”

“Offer – Oh! Yeah sure, man. I’ll let you know if something comes up.”

“Sure. Thanks.”

“Everything all right, Ned? You sound a little, I don’t know, gloomier than usual today.” He said, chuckling.

“Oh, I’m fine. Just the usual routine. Listen, I’ll call you back later. I gotta go.”

“Take care, man.”

 

* * *

 

 

Edmure killed the engine as the car pulled up by the side of the road.

“You best stay in here, Ned. We’ll be in and out before you know it.”

He motioned to his partner Vance and both of them got out of the car.

They had brought half a dozen officers along in the vehicle behind them. All of them alighted, weapons at the ready.

The raid was quick. From inside the house, he heard shots fired. In less than ten minutes, Edmure appeared out the front door, waving at him to come.

He opened the door and put his foot out to be greeted by a loud grunt.

“Watch it, asshole!”

Ned looked at the man lying below, seemingly hiding from the cops. He panicked, realizing he was unarmed, but his face looked familiar.

“Greyjoy?”

Theon Greyjoy scrambled up from the ground, dusting himself. He gave one look at the bulletproof vest Ned wore and then at his face.

“Shit.”

He fled.

That night, Ned couldn’t sleep. He kept thinking of Theon Greyjoy, his former student. One of his worst. He remembered berating him on many occasions. _Apply yourself_. He clearly hadn’t. He had seen their setup. It was rudimentary at best. They didn’t have half the necessary ingredients for the proper concoction. And for some strange reason, there was a high proportion of chili powder in their finished product. _God knows why_.

When sleep finally came, he was woken by a low rumbling noise. Yawning, he walked out the door to see what it was. A red Prius was parked in the driveway. The windows were tinted a dark hue. He heard sounds from within. Standing in front of the car, he banged on the bonnet.

Sansa emerged from the passenger seat, scantily dressed. _At least she has the shame to look embarrassed_. The same couldn’t be said for Joffrey Baratheon.

“Sansa, go inside. We’ll talk about this tomorrow.”

Ashen-faced, Sansa hurried inside.

Joffrey made to leave, but Ned caught him by the scruff of his neck and forced him against the vehicle, maintaining a grip on his collar.

“You lay a hand on my daughter again and I’ll cut your balls off with a hot knife.”

Joffrey, scrawny little shit that he was, squirmed against his grip.

Ned let him go, watching him clamber into his car and drive away like the wind. _I have better things to do than beat kids around_.

“Mr. Stark?”

He turned. Theon Greyjoy was crouched behind the trash can. Why had he come here? _Is he afraid I’ll talk?_ Had he come to silence him?

He got into the driver’s seat of his Aztek and reversed onto the street, stopping next to Theon.

“Get in.”

He looked confused for a bit, but complied.

“Are you armed, Greyjoy? Any funny business, and I swear to God I’ll – “

Theon shook his head. “I’m not armed.”

Ned looked around the neighborhood. “How did you find me?”

Theon chuckled derisively. “You don’t remember? You flunked me, asshole. I sat out here for a day and a night, hoping you would reconsider. You seriously don’t remember?”

“All right, all right.” Ned stopped him. “Why are you here?”

“To explain. To see if you still carry that giant stick up your ass.”

Ned started coughing. His doctor had advised him to start his chemotherapy immediately. But that would mean letting everyone know about his condition. And it wasn’t as if he could afford it anyways.

“Shit. Are you okay?”

He wiped his mouth. “You thirsty? I could use a beer.”

“Whatever, man.”

 

* * *

 

 

They sat down at a secluded booth. Ned lowered his cap to cover his eyes. He couldn’t risk being seen with Theon, especially if he was known to sell to people around here. He hoped the cap wouldn’t make people look a second time.

Theon laughed. “Oh, Mr. Stark being all shady and all…”

“Shut up.” He barked. “You’ll give us away.” He sipped his beer. “All right. Explain.”

“Have you spoken to the cops?”

Ned shook his head. “Is this what you wanted to explain to me? If I had gone to the cops, we wouldn’t be here.”

He leaned on the table, his face closer. “Why didn’t you?”

_Now that’s a tough one…_

“Seriously, man. This doesn’t seem like something you would do. I pictured being in chains and all by now. Instead, we’re having a drink.”

Ned spoke, wiping his brow. “Frankly, I never thought you would amount to much, Greyjoy. But…crystal meth?”

That elicited a reaction. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, man. I just sell weed sometimes.”

Ned gave him a sardonic smile. “No? There’s a lot of money in it, isn’t it? How much do you earn from one cook? Five, maybe ten thousand? And that’s with a sub-standard product.”

“Hey, people dig my shit!”

“Used to, you mean. Now your operation’s razed to the ground. You’re back to square one, with no money and no cook." _Here goes nothing._ "That’s where I come in. You can handle the business end of things. I’ll handle the chemistry.”

It took him a while to register what Ned just said. When he did, he burst out laughing. “You? You wanna cook crystal? With me?”

Ned waited for the laughter to die down before he spoke again, this time firmly. “Either that or I turn you in.”

Theon was silent for a while before he took another sip of beer. “You are not how I remembered you from school.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the feedback for the first chapter! This just started as an impromptu thing, so we'll see how far it goes. My posts will be sporadic, but I'll try to keep it as frequent as possible. Keep reading. :))

Breathing heavily, Mr. Stark removed his mask as he got out of the basement.

“And now we wait?” asked Theon, unzipping his lab jacket.

“And now we wait.”

 

* * *

 

 

The finished product sat on a tray, clear as glass.

Theon was shocked. Mr. Stark had cooked up A-Grade crystal in his first go. He had been trying for years, though he couldn’t honestly admit he had been reaching for perfection.

Mr. Stark took an ice pick, carefully breaking the glass sheet.

“You’re a goddamn artist, Mr. Stark! This is – this is art!” He said, still flummoxed.

Mr. Stark didn’t look up, continuing to break the glass into smaller crystals. “It’s just basic chemistry, Greyjoy. But I’m glad it’s acceptable.” Behind the humble words, he thought he heard a hint – just a small hint – of pride.

Theon reached for the tongs. “I gotta try this shit.”

“NO!” Fuming, he pulled the tongs out of his hand. “We don’t use it. We just sell it.”

“Since when? What the hell, man. All right, let me just take a sample. We’ll need to give the people a whiff. People will go crazy for this shit.”

“All right. Do whatever you have to do. Start selling if you can. Like you…uh…usually do.” Mr. Stark looked at his watch. “Damn it. I have to go.”

“Wait...you’re leaving?” Theon asked. “So I just have to clean up after you?”

Mr. Stark looked at him like he was fifteen again. He hated that look.

“Unlike some others, some of us have work to do, Greyjoy. I’m sure you’re more than capable of clearing up this mess.” He looked up, looking around the basement. “I like your house. It’s a pity you live alone.”

“Well, it’s not like my dad would let me cook up crank in his basement.” He replied derisively. _Dad would choke me with his bare hands if he knew what I was doing_. Balon Greyjoy was not a man to be trifled with. He was a hard man, who had seen a lot of death and destruction in his day. It had been many years since he left the Iron Fleet, but if you’d look at him now, you couldn’t tell. After his mother passed, he became even more distant. Mostly, he was the reason Theon left home. _Or kicked out, more like_.

“So how much do you think this is worth?” He asked him, looking hopeful.

“I don’t know, maybe ten, fifteen.”

That disappointed him. “This has to be at least two pounds.”

“We don’t even have a proper distribution network. How can you make more without a good network?”

“What about your old guys?”

“They’ll probably string me up by my feet and feed me to the dogs if they found out I was cooking again.” Theon thought back. “Trust me. We don’t want to get near them now. They’d just be mad I wasn’t busted. They’re probably thinking I ratted them out.”

“Well, did you?”

That irritated him. “Yeah, cause that’s what I do. I take a dump on my own plate. Anything else you wish to clear up?”

Mr. Stark shook his head in resignation. “See you tomorrow.”

As he exited through the front door, Theon called after him.

“You haven’t told me yet.”

He turned to look at him. “Told you what?”

“Why are you doing this? Straight-ass clown like you, suddenly making crystal. I don’t buy it. I mean, you have a family and all. Obviously you’re not with the cops. So why? Why risk everything?”

He was silent for a while before he spoke. “Why do you do it?”

“Well, money? Mostly.” _Like that’s not obvious enough_.

“There you go.” He turned to leave, shutting the door behind him.

Now Theon was more curious than ever. He rushed after him, stopping him before he got into his car.

“I still don’t buy it.”

“Buy what, Greyjoy? It’s not that hard to understand. I need money. And there’s a lot of money in this business. Now why I need it is not your concern.” He said, with a weary expression on his face.

“Look, if you’re sick, or depressed or something, that’s something I should know.” He said, leaning on the car. “It affects me. As much as I hate it, we’re partners now. I need to know.” _I want to know._

Mr. Stark’s features changed. “I am awake. More than I’ve been my whole life.”

He opened the door to his car and nodded. “Good night.”

Theon walked back to his door, yawning. _The fuck did he mean by that?_ He rubbed his head vigorously. It had been a long day. He didn’t remember working so hard in a long time. At least he could kick back and enjoy some of the new stuff. The thought gave him a chill. He hadn’t smoked up in quite some time. He had been itching for more. _And those crystals…_

He broke into a run.

 

* * *

 

 

The house was in complete darkness as he pulled into the driveway. Unbuckling his seatbelt, he removed the keys from the ignition. He looked at his phone. There were at least ten missed calls from Cat and one from Arya. It was way past midnight. He was in for a bad time.

Fumbling with his keys, he stood in the doorway. Before he could even find the right key, the door opened abruptly. Cat stood at the door, her hair disheveled, her eyes red.

“Where the hell were you?”

Ned floundered, looking for words. “I – the car wash, honey – they were short-staffed – “

“Stop it, Ned!” Her voice was soft enough not to wake anyone, yet he could feel the pain and anger underneath. “If there’s something you’re not telling me, fine by me. But at least don’t stand there and lie to my face! The car wash? Seriously? What, you don’t think I called up there? The owner said you haven’t been there in days. Said you just up and quit. Why wouldn’t you tell me about that? It’s not just your decision. It affects all of us.”

“Honey, I – “

“Just tell me, Ned. Where were you?”

Ned couldn’t think of anything to say. He couldn’t lie to her again. She would see right through it. “I can’t tell you. I’m sorry.”

She stood there, seething. “That’s what I thought.” She said, slamming the door in his face.

He just stood there for a while. He tried to think of what could possibly be going through her mind. She probably thought he had been with another woman. He wished he could tell her that it wasn’t so, that he would never do that to her, but then he would have to tell her what he was actually doing. But how could he convince her that he was doing this for her and the kids? Without him, who would pay for their college? Who would ensure that they got the education they desired and deserved? Who would take care of his beloved Cat? If she even took up a job, would she be able to provide for all four of them and herself?

He wasn’t worried about Robb and Jon. They would take care of themselves.  They had always been independent. Though sometimes, he rued the day he let Jon go off to join the Night’s Watch. Cat had never been kind to him. He couldn’t blame Jon for wanting to leave home. But the day Jon left, Robb left with him. Both of them were inseparable, as if attached at the hip. There was nothing he or Cat could do to stop him from going. He shuddered to think of anything that might happen to them while they were up there. _I hope I get to see them again before I die_.

Disconsolate, he trudged back to his car and settled down for the night.

 

* * *

 

 

He woke to a rapping noise at his window.

Bran stood outside. It was a cloudy morning. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he opened the door.

“Hey, son.”

“I brought you coffee.” He said, a faint smile on his lips.

Reaching for the cup, he took a sip. He would need it to get through the rest of this pitiful day.

“How is she?” he asked him.

Bran shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean, she did ask me to bring you coffee, so I guess that’s a good sign.”

Ned chuckled. _That’s definitely a good sign_.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joffrey gets his comeuppance.

He woke up with a jolt.

He had taken it too far last night, he realized. He looked around, eyes darting. The whole house was a mess. The morning light was blinding him. He covered the windows quickly, leaving a crack open and settling down. He was itching bad, really bad. Sweat dripped from his brow. Mr. Stark had told him to sell the stuff, but all he did was smoke it up. He hurried to the basement to check if he had left anything, toppling over a lamp as he rushed by.

The crystal sat on a tray on their work table, blue as the morning sky. Clearly he hadn’t smoked much. He heaved a sigh of relief. _Another speech from Mr. Stark and I’ll hang myself_. He would have to buy more pseudo. They had used up all of his supplies on this batch. _Time to contact the guys_. Dagmer Cleftjaw and the others would be looking for him, though. He would have to tread carefully. He couldn’t risk getting caught, not when he was cooking under his own roof.

Fumbling, he pulled out a few small plastic bags and started filling them with shards. _All right, asshole. I’m selling your shit. It better fucking be worth the risk_. He turned on the boombox, turning up the volume to help him cool down as he worked. With some loud music playing in the background, he felt better. _I’ve had better trips than this_. Sealing the bags, he stuffed them into his jacket and left the basement.

As he walked towards the door, he thought he saw the doorknob turn. A heavy knocking sound followed. He looked through the window. Two heavy-set guys stood outside the door, daggers in hand. Heart pounding, he ran upstairs, locking himself up in the bathroom. _I’m going to be stuck here a long while…_

 

* * *

 

 

Sansa had been hurting, she could see that clearly. And now she knew why.

She never spoke to her about it; apart from the bedroom they slept in, there wasn’t much else they shared in common. Though they were only two years apart, they couldn’t have been more different. Sansa was like most of the girls at King’s Landing High. They dressed pretty and talked fancy and apparently the boys liked that kind of stuff. She mostly hung out with her friends Jeyne Poole and Beth Cassel. It was their kind of clique, if you could call it that. It was only a few more months before she left for college.

It all started a week ago. Dad had apparently accosted Joffrey in their driveway and warned him to stay away from Sansa. Clearly, Joffrey didn’t take that well. He took out his rage on Sansa, humiliating her in public and striking her when no one looked. She wasn’t blind. She could see the marks on Sansa’s back whenever she undressed to sleep. What she didn’t understand was why she put up with that cunt. He was rude, arrogant and obnoxious. The odd thing was, Tommen and Myrcella, Joffrey’s younger siblings, were really nice. She hung out with them a lot. But if the subject of Joffrey ever came up in conversation, they’d get visibly uncomfortable. She figured anyone would be ashamed of having _that_ for a brother.

As she left the restroom, she saw Joffrey drag Sansa to the janitor’s cabin out of the corner of her eye. She followed them quietly, not making a sound.The door to the cabin was shut. She turned the knob slowly, softly. The door opened with a soft creak.

Joffrey was striking Sansa across the face. She stared in alarm. _What the hell was this for? Because she spoke against you about something? Or was it just because you needed to feel like a man?_

“Stop that, asshole!”

He turned. The shock of being compromised was clear on his features, but that was soon replaced by anger. Sansa looked at her pleadingly, tears in her eyes.

“Arya, please leave us alone.”

Arya was beside herself. “How can you let him do this to you? Don’t you have a – “

Her words were interrupted by a stinging blow to the cheek. Joffrey was livid with rage. He was a little taller than Sansa, so Arya came up to his shoulders. She had to admit, he did look rather intimidating, but she had fought bigger.

“Get out.”

“Joffrey, leave her alone!” Sansa shouted from behind.

That was the last straw. She punched him in the gut. He doubled over in pain, groaning.

“You’re going to leave her alone.”

He swung at her. She easily dodged his punch, landing two more on his jaw. His head flew back as her fist connected with his face. He knelt on the ground, blood pouring out of his broken lip. “My father is a trustee of this school! I’ll have you expelled!” He croaked, histrionically waving his fist in her face.

“We’ll see about that.” She said, grabbing his wrist, easily twisting it. It was a technique Syrio had taught her. Once the wrist was compromised, the opponent’s energy and attention would be spent on trying to get out of that hold, thus putting them at a bigger disadvantage. It wasn’t needed with Joffrey though. He was clearly spent, but she needed to make a statement.

He squirmed and struggled but to no avail. Her grip was unyielding. His whole body turned, keeling over as she twisted further, so that he wouldn’t lose the wrist. It was amazing how such a simple hold could do so much damage. He was practically begging now.

“No, please no!! Let me go!! AAAAARGH!!”

“You will stay away from my sister, yes?” Straddling his arm, she increased the pressure on his wrist, feeling the bones move under her fingers.

“Yes! God, yes!”

“You won’t bother her again?”

“Yes! No, I mean, no!”

“Will you speak of this to anyone?”

“NO!!”

She let him go. She was afraid that if she had continued, she would have ended up breaking his wrist. If that had happened, then she would have been in for a lifetime of trouble. _Bye-bye training, then_. He got up, red-faced and crying, clutching his sprained wrist, and fled from the scene.

She went to Sansa, who was standing in a corner, her face expressionless. She touched her cheek. “Sansa? Are you all right?”

Sansa stirred as if waking from a daydream. She then threw herself at her and hugged her tightly, sobbing into her clothes.

“Shhh. It’s okay.” She comforted her, rubbing her head, her eyes stinging. “It’s okay.”


	4. Chapter 4

She was well and truly exhausted by the end of the session.

 _One of the perks of having a job_. At least she didn’t have to bother Dad with having to pay for her mixed martial arts classes. She eased herself up, stretching her legs. She wasn’t particularly tall for her sixteen years, but she was _fast_. Speed is your strength, Syrio Forel often told her.”Any opponent you face will underestimate you. They may not expect much of a challenge. Use that in your favor.” _Well, I did do that_. After taking Sansa back home, she didn’t feel like returning to school herself. She thought of dropping by the car wash for a while, where Gendry worked. Unlike other times, she didn’t have to worry about Dad being around. Instead, she came over for an early session. She looked at her watch. She still had forty minutes before her shift began.

“We are done for the day, Arya.” Syrio called out from his office. “Tomorrow, usual time.”

“Bye, Syrio!” she called back, slipping on her sweatshirt and pulling out her phone, dialing Gendry’s number.

He sounded sleepy. “Hey.”

“Were you sleeping, bull? What’s up?”

“Nothing.” He said, groaning.“What are you doing this afternoon?”

“Working, stupid. Like I do every afternoon. And now since Dad’s stopped working at the car wash, I’ll probably have to ask them for a raise.” She said, chuckling.

“Yeah, I know. Tobho keeps grumbling about it every morning. Why did he quit?”

“The hell do I know. He’s rarely around nowadays. And when he is, he acts all weird. Last night, he slept in the car. Mom wouldn’t let him in.”

“Shit, that’s rough. Is he all right?”

 _Stupid bull_. “He just slept in the car, stupid. Nothing happened to him.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

She sighed. “I don’t know. They rarely ever tell me anything. It’s supposed to be the other way round, you know. I’m supposed to be the difficult one. But I guess Sansa makes up for that.” She exited the building, walking in the direction of the record store. “Anyways, I can’t continue this conversation on the phone. I’ll come over after my shift. Lots of stuff to tell you.”

Although she didn’t get to listen much while at work, she loved being surrounded by music on all sides, if only for a few hours every day. Her time was spent either at the cash register or at the storage facility, helping with labeling and stock-taking. On a lucky day, she walked the floor, helping customers with anything they were looking for. Today was one of those days.

She moved about nonchalantly, arranging the records in the jazz section alphabetically, humming a tune. As she went about her job, she heard a shuffling sound from the end of the aisle. She walked towards the sound to see what it was.

A young man was rummaging through the albums in the heavy metal section, upsetting the perfect order in which she had stacked them. He wore a beanie, a loose unkempt jacket and baggy pants. He didn’t look older than twenty-five. Everything about him screamed shady. His eyes were wide open, focused on whatever he thought he was doing. He kept scratching himself around the neck, his breathing rapid.

She walked over. “Sir, is there anything in particular you’re looking for?”

He looked up, straight at her. His cheeks were sunken. “It’s not there.” He said, looking at her in shock.

“What’s not there?”

“The new Lamb of God. It’s not there!” He said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“You mean that one right there?” She pointed at the record he held in his hand.

He looked at it. “Oh.” He then walked away, muttering to himself.

 _Fucking fool_ , she thought to herself as she rearranged the albums in order. They got a few buffoons like him now and then. Moving about, she felt something crunch under her shoes. She looked down. A small sachet filled with shiny blue-white granules lay on the floor. _Drugs_. It must have fallen out of his pocket, while he was busy making a mess. She nervously looked around. There was no one in sight. The cameras were down today, due to some technical problems. It looked like how crystal meth might look, but she couldn’t be sure. _Gendry might know_.

She knelt down and picked it up, pocketing it.

 

* * *

 

 

“Where the hell did you get this?” He asked her, bag in hand, blue eyes glaring reproachfully at her.

She felt a little scared. “Some junkie dropped it at the store. I just picked it up.”

Gendry scoffed at that. “You seriously expect me to believe that? Do you realize what would have happened if you got caught with this on you? This shit is as illegal as illegal gets.”

“Seriously, if I wanted a lesson on morality, I would have gone to my father. I haven’t opened it yet. Will you even tell me what it is?”

He looked at her disdainfully. “What do you _think_ it is?”

“I don’t know, meth? But it looks too blue. Meth isn’t usually blue, is it?”

He shook his head, opening the bag and sniffing around. “Oh, it’s meth all right. It looks different, but that’s all. Probably food coloring.” He remarked, looking closely. “Best to chuck this before anyone comes looking.” He said, sealing it and heading for the bathroom.

She shot up. “Wait! Don’t throw it!”

“Trust me, Arya. I’m doing this for your own good.” He said, opening the bathroom door.

“Wait! We could sell it. We’ll make a fortune out of this.”

He gave her the look again. “How much of this have you smoked, Arya?”

“None.”She casually examined her fingernails.“What does it even do?”

His face darkened. “You don’t want to know.” He said, going into his bathroom and locking the door behind him.

Quickly, she pulled out the other bag. She had known he might react like this, so she had removed some for herself. She had seen people shooting meth on television. This would be no different. Emptying the contents on the table, she whipped out her pocket knife and gingerly crushed the crystals. Using her card, she made a line, a rather long line, and rolled up a tenner.

She heard the sound of a flush. Gendry was probably done disposing the rest of the stuff. _Better do it quickly_. If he saw her in the middle of the act, no doubt he would stop her. She didn’t get why he was acting weird. They smoked weed together sometimes. _What’s the worst a hit could do?_

She bent down and inhaled.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please share your views!

He waited in the hallway. The doctors had told them that she was out of danger, but they still had her sedated. They needed to flush the methamphetamine out of her system. The last three days had been nothing short of a living hell. First, they found out that Arya was admitted to the emergency room in critical condition. Then, they found out why she got admitted. He had convinced Cat to go home a few hours back. She needed to stay with Bran and Rickon. Sansa had been a great help these last few days, effectively taking Cat’s place around the house.

He still didn’t understand how she had procured that much meth. _God, I hope it’s not my meth_. He could never forgive himself if it turned out that he was indirectly responsible for her current state. That couldn’t be the case. Surely Greyjoy wouldn’t have just happened to sell to Arya. _What were the odds of that?_

Edmure sat next to him. They would have questions for her, about the meth. They had the kid from the car wash under custody for the time being. He said that she didn’t buy it, that she found it on the floor of her workplace. Apart from that, the boy hadn’t exactly been too helpful. He was too torn up. Ned didn’t understand why. And why was Arya at his place? Were they in some kind of a relationship? If so, why hadn’t she told him and Cat about it? It wasn’t like her not to share stuff.

He was woken from his reverie by the doctor tapping on his shoulder.

“She’s awake. You can go in now. But just the father.” He said, looking nervously at Edmure.

Edmure nodded. “Go ahead, buddy. I’ll be right here.”

He pulled the curtains and walked towards the bed. Arya lay on the bed, looking at the ceiling. She turned to look at him, giving a weak smile.

“Hey, dad.”

He kissed her on the brow. “Hey, sweetie.”

A tear fell from her eye. “I’m sorry.”

He wiped it, holding her face in his hands. “Don’t worry about it, sweetie. Everything will be alright.”

“Am I going to prison?”

He sat down, caressing her head. “No. Since you’re still underage and this is your first offence, they have decided to let it slide.”

She let out a sigh of relief. “And Gendry?”

 _So Gendry’s his name_. “They haven’t decided yet.”

She struggled to sit up. He motioned her to lay still. “It wasn’t his fault. He threw the stuff when I took it to him. He was trying to help me. Don’t let them put him in prison.” She said pleadingly.

“We’ll see about that later. They will be coming around to ask you a few questions. You can tell them then. First you need to rest.” He said, pulling her sheets up to her neck. “I’ll be right outside.”

 

* * *

 

 

Stannis Baratheon, the Commander of the City Watch, had come down especially for this. He was close with Edmure, or so said Edmure. But he couldn’t imagine Stannis being close to anyone, except his family, probably. Ned didn’t know Stannis very well, but he did know his brother Robert.

Ned and Robert were great friends, in another life. They had founded the company – Black Stag Technologies – together, cementing their childhood friendship. It didn’t last very long, though. Due to technical and creative differences and a personal dislike for Robert’s general mentality towards the business, Ned left early in its inception. Now that he came to think of it, it was probably the involvement of the Lannisters in Black Stag which forced him to quit.

“Mr. Stark.” Stannis walked up to him, dressed in a grey suit, tall and lean, with a permanent frown cast upon his face.

“Commander.”

“May we see her?” he asked.

“Yeah, sure. If the doctors are okay with it, I mean.”

Edmure took Ned aside. “They’ve brought a sketch guy, so they can find that junkie. We’ll need Arya to give them a description.”

He sat next to her as they spoke to her. She was visibly better. Her face was all but glowing. The doctors said she was improving rapidly and that they could take her home in a couple days. Probably she was just happy she wasn’t going to prison. Cat and the kids had come by to visit her. He didn’t let Cat stay for long, though. He feared she might break down in front of her. Gendry had also dropped by. They had let him off with a warning, though Arya still insisted he was clean.

“Miss Stark.” Stannis said. “It’s good to see you’re recovering.”

“Thank you, Sir.” She said, smiling. “And please call me Arya.”

They had her narrate the entire chain of events that day. Stannis curled up his mouth in an ugly look that might have resembled something of a smirk when she told them about her beating up Joffrey. Ned wasn’t surprised. She had been training for over a year, after all. And the little shit had it coming for him. Perhaps that would teach him to stay away from Sansa. He was livid when she’d told him about Joffrey hitting Sansa in the face; he would have gladly caved his head in for that. _Like father, like son_.

When she arrived at the point where she found the sachet of meth, Stannis interrupted her.

“Could you describe the meth? The texture, the colour, anything.”

She screwed up her nose, thinking. “It was really blue. That’s weird, isn’t it?”

Edmure piped in. “Biker crank. It was the bomb back in the sixties. No one ever makes it anymore. New players, probably. Maybe the Dornish.”

 _Oh, God_. He started feeling light-headed. This was not what he had in mind when he decided to start making meth. If his family was going to suffer for his actions, how was he helping them in any way? What if this came back to bite them? He waited with Arya while she answered their questions, putting an arm around her shoulders. _Forgive me, child_. _This is all my fault_. He would drop by his house later. He knew what the sketch would turn up. He wouldn’t have to wait for that. He would get to him before they did. He needed to tie up loose ends anyways. Thankfully, Theon had made the task much easier for him.


End file.
